Increase Your Metabolism Naturally: 10 Simple Tricks

Want to learn how to increase your metabolism naturally? When you raise your metabolism, it helps you burn more fat. Unfortunately, many things people do in an effort to be healthy actually slows their metabolism. In this post I'll teach you 10 tricks to boost your metabolism naturally.

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Why You Want to Increase Your Metabolism

Metabolism is the process the body uses to break down food in order to produce energy. As we age, we lose muscle and gain more fat. The more fat you are carrying vs. muscle, the more your metabolism slows down.

Your basal metabolic rate accounts for about 60 to 75 percent of the calories you burn every day. So increasing your metabolism is something that helps you lose weight. (Not to mention you get to eat more food, which is always a bonus.)

In this post, I'll lay out 10 simple tricks you can use to increase your metabolism naturally.

Most Advice on How to Increase Metabolism is Wrong

If you google “increase metabolism naturally” you'll find a lot of information, but most of it is totally wrong. Like this advice for example:

“In one study, adults who drank eight or more glasses of water a day burned more calories than those who drank four. To stay hydrated, drink a glass of water or other unsweetened beverage before every meal and snack. In addition, try munching on fresh fruits and vegetables, which are full of fluid, rather than pretzels or chips.” (Source)

Drinking too much water actually lowers your metabolism! And pretzels and chips can actually help raise your metabolism.

Eat For Heat

According to Matt Stone, author of the book, Eat for Heat, we can raise our metabolism by changing how we eat.

Stone says we don't need to worry about getting enough water and in fact, most of us are probably drinking too much water. He says, “Overhydration is MUCH more common in the water-loving, dehydration-panicked, salt-phobic realm of the modern internet-scouring health nerd.”

I followed Matt Stone's advice on how to raise metabolism and successfully went from an average temperature in the 97s to a steady, stable 98.6.

As a result, I completely eliminated my insomnia. I sleep like a rock every night and no longer wake up at 3 am to pee. I also vastly increased my energy, and I swear my hair is thicker and my nails are growing faster.

I also no longer react to caffeine. I used to get heart palpitations from a single cup of coffee, and I'd be unable to sleep at night. Now I can drink up to 2 or 3 cups of coffee with no adverse symptoms.

10 Simple Tricks to Increase Your Metabolism Naturally

1. Don't Drink When You're Not Thirsty

This sounds like common sense but most of us don't follow it. We drink too much water because we think it's good for us. We drink lots of coffee and soft drinks for the stimulant effect. We drink too much alcohol to relax.

None of these things are bad as long as they are done in moderation. You don't have to avoid coffee or alcohol. Just watch how much you consume. Drinking too much and drinking for reasons other than thirst lowers your metabolism.

2. Monitor Your Body Temperature and Urine

You can actually raise your body temperature by eating more. When I was working to raise my metabolism, if I noticed my temperature was low, I'd eat some salty crackers or ice cream as a snack.

It is also important to monitor your urine. If your urine is clear, you should drink less fluid and eat more.

Matt writes, “Any time you pee clear, have a particularly strong urge to urinate that strikes you suddenly, urinate several times in rapid succession, or pee an abnormally large amount –- eat a salty carbohydrate-rich snack or meal as soon as possible.”

3. Eat More and Drink Less

Eating more was the single best thing I did to raise my metabolism (second was eating more carbs, and third was getting enough sleep). I'm the type to go all day without eating because I'm too busy working and I don't have time to sit down and eat a meal.

Matt Stone said to just eat a handful — so I started snacking or eating small meals every few hours. A handful of salty pretzels or nuts, a few bites of ice cream, a slice of leftover pizza, some crackers and cheese.

Matt writes, “When you are cold, especially in the hands and feet, your urine is clear, the urge to urinate is strong, or you are peeing frequently… YOU NEED TO EAT MORE AND DRINK LESS. When you are hot, especially in the hands and feet, your urine is dark or you haven’t peed in a really long time… YOU NEED TO EAT LESS AND DRINK MORE.”

4. Eat Enough Salt

Most people are terrified of salt these days. That's because everywhere you look, people are warning you not to eat salt. But humans need salt and limiting salt lowers the metabolism.

I ate a lot of salty foods when I was raising my metabolism. I ate lots of chips, salty crackers, cheese, pizza, hash browns, French fries. Not only does food taste better, but my body temperature is warm, my sex drive is up, and I have tons of energy.

5. Eat Enough Carbs

Increasing my carb intake really helped me increase my metabolism. If you are on a low-carb diet and you have symptoms of low metabolism (low energy, low sex drive, thinning hair, cold hands and feet, low body temperature, food allergies, etc.), you may want to add some starch and sugar to your diet — such as potatoes, rice, and ice cream.

Matt writes, “In my experience a low-carb diet can be very metabolically-suppressive regardless of fluid and salt intake. The glucose seems necessary in order to take advantage of the salt itself, and there are known glucose transporters involved in the process, which is why rehydration drinks always contain glucose.”

6. Exercise, But Not Too Much

Exercise is good for your metabolism. If you have more muscle and less fat, you will burn calories faster.

But you can overdo exercise — it's stressful and can lower your metabolism.

Matt Stone explains, “…too much exercise can interfere with your ability to produce a great deal of body heat at rest. Don’t become dependent on it to keep your hands and feet warm. Doing too much of it may actually be keeping you from feeling warm and toasty when you aren’t doing it!”

7. Get More Sleep and Rest

Stress and exhaustion lower the metabolism so you need to sleep enough. When I was working on raising my metabolism, I tried to sleep 10-12 hours per night. I know, it sounds like a lot in our sleep-deprived culture.

When I was on Matt Stone's plan, I would start dimming the lights around 7 pm (dark really helps you get sleepy) and I'd get into my jams. By 8 or 9 pm, I'd hit the sack, and sleep until 7 or 8 in the morning.

Nowadays I only get about 8 hours a night, and my temperature is stable at 98.6.

8. Snack!

Snacking can actually help you to increase your metabolism.

Stone says, “The most important use of the snack is to lift your body out of an active stress event. It takes a surprisingly miniscule total amount of food to do this. Signs that your body is having a stress event might be cold hands and feet, a sudden urge to urinate, frequent urination, a sudden crash in mood or energy levels, abnormalities in your pulse rate, a headache, nausea, a funky taste in your mouth or dry mouth, a loss of the pink color in your tongue – all kinds of things.”

He goes on to say, “In terms of what kind of snack to eat, think back to one of the rules I mentioned earlier -– eat a salty, carby snack. I tell people ‘the airlines got it right' when it comes to de-stressing foods and keeping passengers calm and at ease. A handful of salty pretzels or peanuts and a little cup of a sugary soft drink is a pretty good combination. Sugar, starch, salt, fat.”

9. Pizza, Ice Cream and French Fries Are Your Friends

Matt Stone says some foods are more “warming” than others. I found this to be true when I was raising my metabolism. Some of his “superstars” are: cheese, coconut, chocolate, flour, red meat, potatoes, soy sauce, ice cream, and other desserts.

I ate a lot of hash browns fried in coconut oil, waffles with syrup, pizza, potato chips, French fries and ice cream when I was raising my metabolism. These were foods I had avoided for years because I was trying to go low carb and lose weight. These are the foods that people are afraid of and avoid so they don't get fat.

Best of all, since I raised my metabolism, I continue to eat these foods and I don't gain weight.

10. Go Easy on Coffee, Tea, Soft Drinks, Juice and Fruit

It's easy to drink too much water but many of us also overdo it with coffee, soft drinks, diet drinks and juice. Remember, only drink when you are thirsty.

If you want to drink coffee, make sure you add some cream and sugar.

Matt writes:

Coffee is like water on steroids, making people crash and become even more diluted it seems. It’s a tough topic too because most people don’t drink coffee because they are thirsty, which overall is my biggest issue with coffee. What I recommend is really going heavy on the half and half – maybe even making or ordering something like a breve latte, which is made with half and half instead of milk. Half and half functions more like a warming food than a cooling beverage, so it really helps to counteract the coffee. Adding plenty of sugar and even a little salt (much tastier than it sounds) can actually make for quite a warming drink. I don’t think many people will need to avoid coffee to have good health. But don’t drink it in excess and balance it out properly with the warming substances – fat, sugar, and salt. At least drink it with food if you can’t manage to do that.

Fruit also has a high-water content, so don't eat too much when you are trying to raise your metabolism.

Learn More About How to Increase Your Metabolism Naturally

You can learn more about how to increase your metabolism naturally in Matt Stone's book, Eat for Heat.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Your reference to a source that explains that tons of water and fruits and veggies (and limiting starchy carbs) can help the metabolism get stronger freaks me out, LOL.

Matt Stone’s approach has been super-helpful for me too! I gained weight eating more sugar and starch, but now I can eat loads of food and not gain any weight. I started strength training (not a whole bunch) this week and feel even better. I’m eager to exercise more and THAT was not typical for me last year, ha!

I am still sooooo happy and grateful that I read one of your initial posts about Matt Stone and eating more carbs. I was in Paleo hell (it was making my health immensely WORSE) and needed to read that. Thank you!

“I gained weight eating more sugar and starch, but now I can eat loads of food and not gain any weight. I started strength training (not a whole bunch) this week and feel even better. I’m eager to exercise more and THAT was not typical for me last year, ha!”

I had EXACTLY the same experience. I love being able to eat again and not gain weight from eating whatever I want. And YES, I finally fantasize about exercise! I’m enjoying my kettlebell workouts and swimming, looking forward to doing more walking, and I’m going to start skiing and hiking.

Count me in. After a year of RRARF-type awareness, my temps are up and I’ve finally hit that mode of wanting to exercise. I do random kettlebell swings and back into yoga. I will say that the sleep part is one thing I finally will get focused on. (Lingering issues – had a kidney stone (but no other buildup on CT scan), anemia, IGF sex hormones deficient, and saw that I have chronic spondylosis at L5 (also on CT scan)) I’m officially homeschooling next academic year (or even sooner if I decide) based mainly on returning to a ‘natural’ (for me) sleep schedule which seems like 11pm to 12 am to 8 or 9 am. My husband works from home so there’s no reason not to try this. Georgia (especially my county) is very homeschool friendly, so it should be an easy transition. When people ask, I tell them the truth, the number one reason is addressing my health by respecting my sleep demands.

I thought you said recently that you felt you weigh more than you would like to because you were overeating? So are you drinking more fluids or something related to Matt Stone’s ideas? I’m just wondering how overeating and his plan can both be something you’re doing. I don’t really know much about his plan, but I do see he says to eat small meals and often. Does he talk about knowing if the frequent and small meals are too frequent?

AM- I remember reading that you were taking dessicated thyroid for a while. Are you still doing that? Or did you achieve these results by upping your carbs only? I know you’ve said that youget forgetful with your supplements. Are you still taking iodine and did you take it while healing your metabolism? Thanks!

Yes, this was my question, since I am working on the iodine protocol myself. How much of this metabolic boost do you contribute to the iodine helping your thyroid? Did you get all the way up to 50mg..and if so how long did you stay there?

I’m concerned about high blood sugar with trying to heat up this way. All docs want me grain free, but I went back on some grains because of freezing all the time and some weight has come back on, I’m about 15 lbs over my desired weight. I’m taking a cinnamon and chromium supplement that keeps be just below prediabetes levels.
Any thoughts about prediabetics heating up with ice cream, pretzels, and french fries?just wondering.
(i eat a traditional real foods diet)

I am so curious about this way of eating. I started a new job 2 months ago and have put on 20 pounds! And I’m a physician assistant in a hospital running my butt off and barely eating. I’m cold all the time. I need to lose way more than 20 pounds, which is what scares me about this. And I have Hashimoto’s (since age 16). I have really lightened up on what I eat (try to avoid industrial oils, but I no longer think gluten/dairy is the devil). And I’m glad for that. But I don’t know how to get this weight off.

When I decided to heal my metabolism, I figured that it was more important to have healthy hormones and a normal body temperature than it was to lose weight. Health is more important than what you weigh.

Thank you so much for sharing and encouraging. It is just hard not to drink too much. I also have problems with hot flushes (menopause) – wondering if raising temperature will worsen hot flushes?? thanks.

I run “hot” all day, I’m warm when everyone else is freezing cold. Can’t lose weight to save my life, so I’m thinking it’s something other than a metabolism issue. But, at about 8PM I start cooling off and by 9 I’m almost shivering when everyone else is comfortable. I’ve always assumed it was my body saying “go to bed” but it is hard to sleep when my feet are ice cubes! I’ve been having a couple ounces of wine to warm me up and that usually works. I don’t like eating that late at night because if I go to bed at 10 with food still in my stomach, I get terrible heartburn. I have had a health coach tell me I’m not eating anywhere near enough to lose weight which really blew my mind, but I couldn’t embrace it after 50+ years of “eat less, move more.” I do drink way too much, almost a gallon a day, just to thirst. My pre-diabetic husband would love to have pretzels and ice cream laying around the house, I’m sure, but I don’t know. Interesting theory, I’ll have to do some more research on Matt’s findings.

What’s funny about that first WebMD quote is that they have their “arrow of causation” backwards. People who have a higher functioning metabolism (and higher body temp) do and should drink closer to 8 glasses of water/day, but they thought it was the water that caused the high metabolism!

Just a word of caution about taking iodine. Do your research and draw your own conclusions before you take it. There are three camps (that I know of) regarding iodine supplementation. Dr. David Brownstein says most people are deficient, and thinks that’s related to fibrocystic breast disease, breast cancer, etc. He advocates high doses. Some who advocate the Perfect Health Diet (Paul Jaminet) think that you can take it when you balance it with enough selenium. Most standard physicians say that too much iodine can cause Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. In Japan, where they eat a lot of high-iodine seafood, they also have a sky-high rate of Hashimoto’s.

I’m not sure where I fit. In my own experience, my physician followed Brownstein. I took 12.5 mg of Iodoral to boost my hypothyroid status. It warmed me up immediately. At the time, I wasn’t tested for Hashimoto’s autoimmune thyroid disease, and wasn’t aware of it or its possible link to iodine. I took iodine for close to a year and then learned that some believe it can be a cause. About two years later I had a positive TPO test for Hashi’s. Since I didn’t have the test before taking iodine, I do not know if that was coincidence or whether iodine was a contributing factor, but having Hashi’s has dramatically altered my life. Taking iodine is not like taking Vitamin C. There may be potential for harm, so do your own research.

I think it’s really important to mention that each person is different. If this works for you, fantastic! Personally, I feel pretty badly if I eat carbohydrates or a sugary snack on an empty stomach. My body likes a limited amount of carbohydrates and mostly natural carbohydrates, particularly of the tuber family. I can eat a small amount of grains (properly prepared of course) but legumes of all sorts are a no go for me. Moral of the story, do what makes you feel best!!

What in the world did I do to myself? I went low carb in Sept 2009 and on GAPS in Jan 2010. It was amazing and my metabolism was so high. I lost 40lbs and finally felt wonderful. Now that I’ve stayed low carb for 3 years I’ve gained so much of my weight back and am baffled. Did I screw up my metabolism by going too low carb for too long? Now when I eat carbs the pounds continue to pack on. I don’t know what to do to get my metabolism back working.

I did the same thing to myself!! Started GAPS in 2011 and felt great for the first 8 months- then I started having problems with dry skin and hair/scalp, hypoglycemia and problems with fertility. It took us 15 months to get pregnant with our third daughter (whereas the first two kiddos only took a month or two of trying pre-GAPS). I think GAPS can be a great thing but it’s not meant to be a forever-diet; it has stages that are supposed to be moved through and grains reintroduced as you progress and are ready. I found that initially restarting with grains/carbs your body might feel like it’s rebounding with weight gain but eventually that should calm down as your body readjusts! I think balance is key- everything in moderation. :) (Also, I do try to sprout or soak most grains and legumes that we eat but we also enjoy occasional treats)

Hi Ann Marie,
This is a great article and timely. I have started Matt’s protocol and have bought the heat book.. My body temp started at 95.6. I was cold.I am now at 97.3 or higher. warmer then I have been in a long time. Whenever I drink a sip of water my temp goes down. Pee changes too.To clear. Even without water my pee is light. I am thirsty too.I eat Celtic salt.
Questions:
1. Did you still drink broths while doing this?
2.. Do you think pre-soaked beans, or any beans are a good choice for eating during the protocol?
3. How did you know your body temp was reset?
Thank you Ann Marie,
Kathy

Thank you so much for this post, Ann-Marie. You were the one who introduced me to Matt Stone, and I will be forever indebted to you for that. I think it’s great that you’re sharing his theories with more and more people! Please keep doing so! : )

I haven’t yet read Eat for Heat, but I just finished 12 Paleo Myths, which was also included in the Ebook bundle. I’ve been on GAPS for a year or so, hoping to heal allergies, digestive problems, etc. Since I wasn’t seeing much improvement, I’ve been cheating a lot since Thanksgiving and Christmas, though the extra carbs haven’t made me feel warmer. :)
I love the idea of being able to enjoy grains again, and my kids would love to have me cooking “normal” food again. My big concern, which Matt didn’t address, is the area of gut health. How does one encourage healthy intestinal flora while eating the way Matt suggests?
I’ve always tended to feel chilly, although now that I’m in my 50’s I’m starting to have hot flashes. My thyroid was removed when I was ten due to some kind of autoimune problem. I’m wondering whether anything I eat will improve my body temperature, or if that would simply be related to how much thyroid hormone I’m taking.
I’d appreciate any suggestions.

I’ve been following Matt’s suggestions for over a year now and I will say in the matter of body type, I have definitely gotten more hourglass shaped. This is with sodas, and ice cream, and bakery bagels, etc. after 2 years plus of low-carb that worsened my health.Here’s how I noticed. When I tried on clothes during low-carbing, I’d fit into a size 4 easily, but there would always be an issue of ‘muffin top.’ Now, I’m fitting appropriately into a size 10, with no overhang whatsoever. I guess there was a stress belly when I was low carbing andnow things are on their way to looking and feeling better. The curves I’ve gotten are without cellulite. I will say I would like to get the belly a little further down, but as noted above, now is when I’m finally feeling the desire to ‘spot’ exercise, walk, and do yoga (was a near pro) so hopefully that’s in the picture soon. Thanks Anne Marie for sticking with Matt when you saw what worked for you.

I would love to try this as I am always cold. But I have periodontal disease and eating lots of carbs and sugar would probably make my teeth fall out! So now I am totally confused about what to eat yet again. The protocol for healing mouth issues is no grains. I think I need to stop reading all these diff blogs because its soooo confusing.

I was on GAPS for a couple months. It made me have wild mood swings and then I found out I also have histamine intolerance. GAPS is extremly high histamine. Anything fermented is, even the broths! Most fish is as well. So I stopped that diet.

lol gaps diet…wait 2 years to have dairy? get your metabolism up and you could be having dairy in a matter of weeks…take an anti-histamine before meals until you are consistently warm and you will be good to go….also look into ray peat’s raw carrot salad

Ann Marie – you write “The more fat you are carrying vs. muscle, the more your metabolism slows down.”

Above, you also wrote that it is more important to be healthy than to worry about your weight.

But if people are gaining weight by this way of eating, doesn’t that cycle back to the first issue: more fat, less muscle = slow metabolism?

I believe I read or heard you say you’d gained 20 lbs since beginning Matt’s protocol. If you’ve been following it for over a year, has your weight gone back down?

It is difficult to convince an already-morbidly-obese person to switch from low-carb, high-fat eating to a protocol such as Matt’s if gaining more weight is a possibility w/o the hope of it coming off…eventually.

Your questions say it. It’s doubtful one can or should stick with one single target.

If increase energy level and sex drive is your primary goal, then eat as you please while exercise but not too much can work, since it makes your happier. What’s more important then being happier? If your weight gain is not so much as to tip the balance of losing your energy level, hey, you may as well go for it.

Ann Marie – if a person knew nothing about Matt Stone or 180Degrees…which of his books would you recommend they start with?

After listening to you interview him a couple of weeks ago, I started perusing his site and ultimately bought his Eat for Heat ebook. I came away a bit disappointed in that there wasn’t much ‘meat’ to it: i mean, interesting read and all but I’m looking for some nuts and bolts as in how to implement this.

Obviously I’m not Ann Marie, but I would definitely recommend you get Matt Stone’s latest book, Diet Recovery 2. Before that came out, the original Diet Recovery book was my favorite of his for a comprehensive understanding of the principles of eating for metabolic health, and how to apply them. Diet Recovery 2 is even more comprehensive (it basically includes Eat for Heat within it). I also bought Eat for Heat and didn’t find it particularly informative (though very useful), but I had Diet Recovery, so I didn’t need it to be information. Anyway, that’s my advice! : ) All the best to you, Karen.

wait a minute, didn’t you just say that you lost weight by cutting portions? Also, doesn’t leptin get unbalanced by snacking? I’m on gaps (1.5 yrs) and I have not had the magic of losing weight, in fact I struggle to maintain and I have the annoying love handles I have always had. I wonder if starch would help.

Best thing I’ve done for my metabolism is to take 1 – 2 tbsp. raw honey at bedtime. I’m getting more restorative sleep, supporting liver function and my bowels are moving very regularly. I would not recommend sugary drinks, most of it is made with corn syrup which is, more often than not, a genetically modified food.

@Ann Marie Michaels,
You said you started eating more, especially since you used to not eat all day. When you say ‘eat more’ do you mean eating small things more often (keeping your food total reasonable- which is why you don’t gain weight), or your daily food total has actually increased? By how much?
Also, do you know what causes that ‘crash’ feeling after eating many carbs? Too many carbs in one sitting?
I am waiting to purchase Matt Stone’s book :)

Thanks Ann Marie for writing this. I read this back in 2013 and never forgot it. One thing led to another and I’ve only recently read Eat for Heat after exhausting so many other avenues for good health. I wonder if you still ascribe to this idea? I also wonder what you think of the metabolism summit and other things going on now in 2016 regarding raising one’s metabolism.?

No mention of things that crush metabolism (the things that screwed people’s body’s in the first place). A bad metabolic rate is not just down to ‘under-eating’ or drinking too many fluids. You’re recommending French fries, with absolutely no mention of the toxic oils they are cooked in. People will read this, go to Mcdonnalds and gorge, thinking they are now ‘healthy’. Unfortunately, there are nasties in the food supply, and you do need to be very selective and anal, when chosing/avoiding food. It’s not just a case of stuffing your cake hole, and all problems disappear. Eating to de-stress is good advice, but recommending French fries, without detailing what those things are actually cooked in commercially, is the work of a clown.

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